1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a steer axle assembly and more particularly to a fabricated steer axle assembly designed to reduce the amount of required welding, materials and weight and to allow flexibility with respect to the drop of the axle.
2. Disclosure of Related Art
In a conventional steer axle assembly, an I-shaped or tubular beam extends along a longitudinal axis. Each end of the beam may define a boss having a through bore configured to receive a kingpin. A steering knuckle may be rotatably mounted on the kingpin. Variations in the drop of the axle (i.e., the variation in position of the steering knuckle and vehicle wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the axle beam) are accomplished either by curving each end of the beam or by affixing a plurality of plates or other structural components to each end of the beam so that the boss is disposed on one side of the longitudinal axis of the beam. Most conventional steer axle assemblies are forged. A steer axle assembly may also be fabricated, however. A typical fabricated steer axle assembly is welded together from numerous pieces and/or contains numerous welds for reinforcement.
Conventional forged and fabricated steer axle assemblies suffer from several disadvantages. Forged steer axle assemblies are relatively heavy and inflexible with respect to design changes. Further, the extra material required for forging increases tooling, manufacturing, and assembly costs. Fabricated steer axle assemblies overcome some of the above-mentioned disadvantages associated with forged steer axle assemblies. Conventional fabricated steer axle assemblies, however, include numerous pieces and welds. The relatively large number of pieces and welds increases the costs of the assembly while decreasing the overall strength of the assembly.
There is thus a need for a steer axle assembly that will minimize or eliminate one or more of the above-mentioned deficiencies.
This invention relates to a steer axle assembly.
A steer axle assembly in accordance with the present invention includes an axle beam, a kingpin housing, and a fabrication connecting the axle beam and kingpin housing. The kingpin housing may comprise a tube having a groove proximate each end of the tube. The grooves may extend around the entire circumference of the tube. The fabrication includes a first end and a second end and is bent around the kingpin housing so that the first and second ends may be attached to the axle beam. The fabrication may then be welded along the seam extending between the kingpin housing and the beam formed after bending the fabrication around the kingpin housing.
A steer axle assembly in accordance with the present invention is advantageous as compared to conventional steer axle assemblies. The inventive assembly is lighter than a conventional forged assembly, requires less material to manufacture, and allows flexibility in the drop of the axle. The inventive assembly also has relatively few components and welds thereby producing a relatively strong assembly at a relatively low cost.
These and other features and objects of this invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating features of this invention by way of example.